The present Invention is in the field of mass transit and pertains more particularly to methods and apparatus for enabling an intelligent public transit system using dual-mode vehicles.
As urbanized areas in major industrialized nations have become more congested in population, roadways, turnpikes, expressways, freeways, and the like have become more and more congested, and new ways of moving people have become more important. A good example of such congestion is in Southern California, particularly the Los Angeles area. Urban sprawl continues for many miles around Los Angeles, requiring ever more investment in highway infrastructure, which the relatively recent devastating earthquake in that area proves is a vulnerable investment.
These developments over many years have also prompted development and implementation of various mass transit schemes designed primarily for commuters who live and work in the area. Bus systems, train systems, and other rail-type mass transport systems are generally available for commuters in the more industrialized and modern areas.
There are also many congested urban areas around the world that are not modernized with respect to transportation. Often too few roadways are available in these areas. The roadways that are available are often congested to the point of gridlock. Lacking rail systems, commuter-lane freeways and other such infrastructure enjoyed in more modern urban areas, these poorer areas are disadvantaged, at least from the aspect of efficient transportation infrastructure, such that they may not contribute and develop economically, as they would be enabled to do if there were adequate transportation.
It has been generally believed that introducing more conventional forms of mass transit such as rail systems, more buses, trolleys, etc. could alleviate congestion problems on roadways and the like. To this end billions of dollars are devoted to more-or-less conventional mass transit systems. However, it has been found that in modern areas people more often prefer independent modes of travel, such as by automobile, even when commuter lanes on freeways are available for private automobiles, it seems most commuters would rather go it alone than join a carpool or solicit others to form one. Moreover, rail systems and other common mass-transit modes are enormously expensive and must be generally supported through paying ridership by the public. When enough individuals cannot be solicited to patronize such a system, it may suffer from lack of maintenance, poor service, and in some instances, service may be discontinued altogether. The alternative of building more freeways to accommodate individual motorists is extremely expensive and takes up otherwise usable space.
In view of the above considerations, it is very desirable as public policy to provide an economically-feasible system of mass transit that also provides personal privacy and individual freedom to users of such a system. While there have been efforts to provide more personalization and individuality with respect to mass-transit modes, these systems are often prohibitively expensive, or do not provide enough individuality or personalization to attract large numbers of users, which, in the long run is self-defeating. Some of these prior art systems involve no more than providing improved communication between transit authorities and passengers, while others attempt to provide independent modes of travel on special roadways that are modified from existing roadways, or built new at extravagant costs.
One such prior art system is taught by U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,470, issued on Sep. 23, 1997 to Howard R. Ross, hereinafter referred to as Ross. Ross provides an electrically-powered vehicle with on-board batteries adapted to ride on a special designated roadway adapted to inductively distribute electrical energy to each vehicle. While this system may alleviate some traffic on normal roadways and provide for individually personalized transportation, either normal roadways must be modified, or new roadways must be constructed to facilitate such electrically powered vehicles.
Breaking up existing roadways is extremely expensive as is building new roadways. Moreover, with many roadways already widened to support special commuter lanes, it is doubtful that adding lanes for electric vehicles would be practical even if the expense could be met.
Another prior art system, U.S. Pat. No. 5,739,744 issued to Antonio Carlos Tambasco Olandesi, hereinafter referred to as Olandesi, simply provides computer capability to gas-powered buses in a transit capacity. Such capability affords drivers and passengers with a knowledge of scheduling information, current time status such as length of delays, scheduled arrivals, and so on. The onboard computer means communicates with terminals at stops along the route. However, passengers still must pack in as a group and do not have any individual control accept for boarding and disembarking, as with conventional bus systems.
Still other prior art systems provide individual vehicles adapted to ride on a rail-like above-ground structure. Almost invariably, such systems require rigid confinement of the vehicles to the rail-structure such that the vehicle is constrained to ride on a special rail or in a special groove. No dual mobility is afforded with these rail systems which is a common constraint seen with many prior art aboveground rail systems.
It is desirable in view of the above limitations associated with the state of the art to provide a transit system that provides a passenger with all of the privacy of driving a personal vehicle, while also enabling the passenger to enjoy a worry-free commute void of any requirement to navigate the vehicle. It is further desirable to provide such a system relatively inexpensively and with infrastructure that is modular in nature and may be quickly assembled or taken down without taxing precious land resource or significantly disturbing the environment.
One prior art system that provides a relative few of the desired characteristics described above is taught by U.S. Pat. No. 5,473,233 issued on Dec. 5, 1995 to Mark A. Stull and George F. Dippel, hereinafter referred to as Stull et al. Stull et al. teaches a mass transit system that uses a special roadway whereon a vehicle is driven via electromagnetic power provided by an electric utility and special electromagnetic elements or coils implanted at short intervals along the roadway. The implanted elements communicate with magnetic apparatus (large magnets) installed in each vehicle. The vehicles are urged forward by an electromagnetic current distributed at various modulations to control the speed of each vehicle.
Each vehicle in the Stull et al. system may operate in dual mode in the sense that when not on the special roadway whereon electromagnetic propulsion is the only option, it may be operated as an electric vehicle capable of self-propulsion on a typical surface roadway. Each vehicle is adapted to carry only a few passengers, a constraint necessary due to the mode of travel.
One problem with this system is that it relies on a special roadway that must be modified from an existing roadway, or created new. As described above, tearing up existing roadway to embed special surfaces and electromagnetic modules is prohibitively expensive. Such a dedicated roadway or guide-way also requires many entrance and exit ramps of sufficient length to accommodate acceleration to an optimum speed of travel, which may be up to 150 miles per hour according to Stull. Similarly, the amount of electric current needed to provide power for the embedded coils limits the scope of Stull""s system requiring, that it be implemented for short distances only such as in urban locales. This constraint limits the number and type of commuters that may benefit to those local commuters living within the city. Moreover, in areas where heat during the summer may cause unusual demand on electricity, the system appears vulnerable.
Even though the infrastructure of Stull et al. is prohibitively expensive and complex, a desirable feature is exhibited with respect to the vehicles. That is that each vehicle is equipped with an on-board computer means for communicating with a xe2x80x9ccomputerized global systemxe2x80x9d. Such communication capability includes diagnostic evaluations of vehicle integrity for traveling on the system, control of vehicle speed, and control of vehicle position as related to other vehicles traveling on the same guide-way. Unfortunately, the global system uses hardwired local control stations having a plurality of roadway modules that must be installed and operational for successful vehicle to system communication. Such wiring and distributed modules must be constantly maintained and tested which is an ongoing and considerable expense.
More importantly, vehicles traveling on the guide-way are not self-propelled. Rather, they are controlled as a group under a shared system of electromagnetic propulsion. This fact introduces an undesired complexity wherein the global system must communicate with each vehicle and the power source supplying the shared power. Based on each individual vehicle needs, the global system must regulate the electromagnetic system so as to supply the required power at the required location within a required time window such as when vehicles must be brought up to speed for entering the system. In fact, the electromagnetic system must be divided into two parts: one for the main guide-way, and one for the entrance and exit ramps. This kind of complexity is difficult to maintain even over short distances. Furthermore, the speed capability of Stull et al""s system is disclosed as from 50 miles per hour to 150 miles per hour. While this capability may be impressive in a long, straight, commute, a short distance would never require such capability, and as Stull""s vehicles are not constrained to the guide-way, an element of danger is exposed at higher speed levels.
As can be seen above, Stull et al, while able to provide some individual privacy for commuters by way of dual-mode vehicles, fails to provide a system that is economical and practical for more than short-range use. It is even dubious that a short-range system practicing under the concepts of Stull et al. could be implemented economically, especially in areas that are not particularly rich in resources. Much innovation is still needed to achieve the desired characteristics for a really successful mass transit system.
For a mass transit system to be economical in terms of infrastructure, it must be modular in nature, meaning that the roadway must be of such a construction that it may be installed in urban, suburban, and rural areas without adding to existing roadways or otherwise disturbing useful land areas extensively. For a mass transit system to be successful in terms of providing convenience and amenity to proposed commuters, it must be flexible in nature, conciliatory toward commuter preferences, and affordable for commuters. For a mass transit system to be successful in terms of social practicability, it must, along with the above, be aesthetically acceptable within the community and help to solve transportation problems existing within the community.
Another apparent difficulty with the mass transit systems described above as in and defining the state of the prior art, is that all are relatively mechanically complex. That is, they all require in some degree power distribution in the roadway, complicated mechanical switching, and the like. Complexity equals expense and unreliable operations.
Accordingly what is clearly needed is a mass transit system that is very simple, avoids mechanical complexity, can be personalized to commuters, and that may be implemented regionally and economically in terms of infrastructure. Such as system would allow people to commute en mass while retaining individual privacy as if driving their own vehicle from point of departure to point of arrival to a final destination. Such a system would also allow less developed areas to obtain badly needed infrastructure at a minimal investment, which would also attract other economic investment.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention a transit system is provided, comprising an internally powered, wheeled, transport vehicle having both manual controls enabling a user to drive the vehicle on a surface street and an on-board computer (OBC) system enabling software control of at least vehicle steering and velocity; and a controlled roadway system having a roadway surface upon which the transport vehicle runs on its internal power on the same wheels as on surface streets. On surface streets off the controlled roadway the manual controls are active, and on the controlled roadway the software controls are active. In a preferred embodiment in selection of computer control is triggered by entrance to the controlled roadway system.
In a preferred embodiment the transit system further comprises plural transport vehicles having individual OBCs and a roadway Master computer system, and the Master computer system and OBCs are enabled to establish two-way communication. The Master computer system preferably controls speed of transport vehicles on the controlled roadway in a manner to prevent any two transport vehicles occupying the same physical space. In this and other embodiments the Master computer system maps the controlled roadway into fixed length virtual packets traveling at a constant speed, identifies the packets uniquely, identifies all compatible transport vehicles uniquely, and controls transport vehicles to occupy virtual packets.
In embodiments of the invention there are access stations at predetermined positions along the controlled roadway, the access stations connecting to the controlled roadway by entrance and exit ramps such that transport vehicles may accelerate and join the controlled roadway via entrance ramps, and may also exit the controlled roadway via exit ramps and decelerate.
In some embodiments there are side-by-side lanes in the controlled roadway system, for opposite directions of travel. Also in some embodiments there are further enclosures covering substantial portions of travel lanes of the controlled roadway, such that air within the enclosure is caused to move in the direction of transport vehicle travel, therefore reducing air friction impeding progress of vehicles moving on the roadway. In some of these embodiments there is at least one air pump mechanism for moving air within the enclosure in the direction of vehicle travel.
In one aspect of the invention the communication system is by a wireless network. The wireless network in some cases covers the entire controlled roadway system and extends in range to cover a substantial portion of the range of compatible transit vehicles on surface streets, such that the Master computer may communicate with transit vehicle OBCs both on and off the controlled roadway system. Also in some embodiments the Master computer system is Internet-connected, allowing users of compatible transit vehicles to access and interact with Master computer functions by Internet connection with an Internet appliance. These functions include at least reserving space in specific time slots for travel on the controlled roadway system. In some embodiments transit vehicles are electrical vehicles (EVs).
In another aspect of the invention a wheeled personal transport vehicle (PV) is provided, comprising an on-board power plant; manual controls comprising at least steering and speed controls enabling an operator to operate the vehicle on surface streets; an on-board computer (OBC) system enabled to operate at least the steering and speed controls by software; and an exclusive selection mechanism for selecting either manual or OBC control.
In some embodiments of the PV the OBC comprises a wireless communication link to an off-board Master computer system, and the Master computer system selects between OBC and manual control for the PV. In some of these embodiments the manual controls operate through the OBC by providing input to the OBC which in turn drives steering and speed control mechanisms.
In some preferred embodiments the PV further comprises proximity sensors sensing proximity of structures to either side of the direction of travel of the PV, the proximity sensors providing input to the OBC, which uses the input in conjunction with software to steer the PV between the structures to either side of the PV. There may also be proximity sensors facing in the direction of travel of the PV and providing input to the OBC used for adjusting speed of the PV to adjust proximity of the PV to a second PV moving in the same direction of travel. The software executing on the OBC may use input from the side-facing proximity sensors and OBC steering control to cause the PV to selectively follow a structure to one side or the other of the direction of travel of the PV. This function can be used for entrance and exit switching on a controlled roadway.
In preferred embodiments the PV comprises a user interface with the OBC such that an operator is enabled to interact with functions provided by the off-board computer system. Such functions may include at least logging and reserving travel time and space on a compatible controlled roadway system.
In preferred embodiments of the present invention dual-mode vehicles are provided to operate both on surface streets and a unique controlled roadway, and the system is provided at a fraction of the cost of mass-transit systems capable of handling even a portion of the traffic this unique system may handle. The system and subsystems of the invention in a variety of embodiments are taught in enabling detail below.